becker



April 10, 1928. 1,665,838 E. BECKER AERIAL SIGNALING METHOD AND. MEANS Filed Jan. 10. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 n5- J'wueufoz April 10, 1928. 1,665,838

. E. BECKER AERIAL SIGNALING METHOD AND MEANS Filed Jan. 10. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED- STATES PATENT: OFFICE.

EDMUND BECKER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; 'CAMILLE HINDMARSH AND MARIE L. WALLIS EXECUTRICES 0F SAID EDMUND BECKER, DECEASED.

AERIAL SIGNALING METHOD AND MEANS.

Application filed January 10, 1924. Serial No. 685,400.

My invention relates to signaling and particularly to methods and means to guide the aerial navigator upon his course.

In its broader aspect my invention relates to a system of beacons so arranged as to permit the aerial navigator to identify his location and find his course and having located his course to pursue the same.

In its more narrow aspect, my invention relates to a particular form of beacon adapted for aerial use.

Aerial beacons heretofore used. have to a very large extent followed those developed for marine use and are of two general types, those which use a powerful light source placed within a housing or globe and those which project a beam of light by means of a lens or a lens system,

Aerial lighthousesoften are and must be situated close to large centers of population, with inyri ads of lights to form a background for the beacon when viewed. from above, and as the aerial navigator does not confine his movements to a single plane but proceeds at varying elevations, the angle from which he observes the beacon constantly fluctuates and the appearance of the beacon will constantly change unless it is especially designed to present a uniform appearance when viewed from above.

A form of beacon well adapted to maintain a uniform appearance when viewed from above is an illuminateddome of a building but this is expensive to construct.

An object of my invention is to provide a structure which will. have the general ap pearance of a dome when illuminated and viewed from above at night but due to its structure will be comparatively inexpensive to construct.

A further object of my invention is to provide a means for illuminating such a structure which will give great efficiency in illumination in proportion to the power consumed and whose individual units are inexpensive, require no regulation and little attention except to renew the same when eX- hausted from use or destroyed by accident.

A further object of my invention is to provide a system of aerial beaconsin which certain of the beacons are visible and present a substantially uniform appearance when viewed from any point above, whereas other beacons which are arranged preferably in rows or courses connecting the main beacons present a substantially uniform appearance from any altitude above but change "their appearance when viewed from a course at an angle to the course which they mark or erty of maintaining asubstantially uniform outline no matter from what angle viewed. In addition the surface area of said planes is less than the surface area of a globe of equal diameter and so less illumination per unit of area is required to give an illumination of equal intensity.

As such beacons are usually placed comparatively close to the ground, it is usually unnecessary to use full circles and for practical purposes a horizontal great circle and a part of equal perpendicular great semicircles arranged at right angles to each other and having a common center will do as well as these will produce an object having a substantially uniform outline when illuminated and viewed from above, the dispensing with lower parts of two of the circles promoting considerable economy in material and illumination.

For the trail lights it is unnecessary that the beacon should present an uniform appearance from any position around the horizon. In fact, it is desirable that such bee-- cons should be unconspicuous to navigators who are not following the course which they mark. It is therefore possible in the trail lights to dispense with the illuminated vertical great semi-circle which'is parallel with the course marked by the beacon, merely rea may be obtained by usingradiants in comparatively small units, positioning these units so closely together that their general effect is that of a thin sheet of light. Suitable radiants for this purpose are the ordinary incandescent electric lamps, arranged at closely spaced intervals and preferably within open frames, so that the sheets of light produced by the rows of lamps will be visible from both sides of the frame. The use of these small individual units has the further advantage that they are easily replaced if destroyed or exhausted and furthermore are adapted for a great variety of control. Suitable control means can be arranged by which the lamps may be flashed on and off at regularly re-occurring intervals and thus each beacon be given a characteristic by which it may be identified and known from similar beacons and by use of this characteristic not only can the beacon be caused toproduce an identifying signal but a considerable savii-ig of current obtained by reason of the fact that the lamps are switched off during part of the period.

For an illustration of my invention, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a terrain showing a range light and two trail lights.

Fig. 2v is a plan View of a trail light.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a trail light upon line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. is a plan view of a range light.

F 5 is a vertical section of a range light upon line 55 of Fig, 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a trail light. and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a range light, both with the lamps omitted for the sake of clearness.

In the drawings for the sake of clearness, the lamps are shown greatly exaggerated in size and the rows are, therefore, necessarily shown few in number. While the number of rows and the spacing of the lamps is not material within reasonable limits, I prefer to space the lamps very close together and the rows as close together as is practical, leaving merely enough space between the rows to conveniently adjust .the lamps, the purpose being to provide an area of practically uniform illumination throughout the interior of the frames in which the lamps are placed.

In the drawings:

1 is a range beacon.

2 and 3 are trail beacons.

These beacons may be positioned upon towers specially constructed for the purpose, or where a buildingis conveniently located for the purpose, the building may be used as a supporting structure for the beacon.

The range beacon, as best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7 comprises a base 4 which is substan- 1 incense tially horizontally situated but which may be slightly dished as shown in Figs. 5 and 7- this form giving a stronger structure and also better illumination.

The base 411 has an opening in the center of substantially circular shape. Across the opening run girders 5, four being shown, these girders n'iecting in the center of the opening at 6.

Supported upon the girders are concentric, substantially circular, beams 7, each beam being provided with rows of lamp sockets 9, each socket having an incandescent electric or other lamp 10. I prefer to make these concentric beams as shown, but they merely support the weight of the lamps with the necessary wiring, they may be made of tubing or in other form, if desired.

lViounted upon the base a upon lines, preferably intersecting the center of said base, are a pair of substantially perpendicular frames 11 and 12. These frames are pref- ;ably positioned at right angles to each other and intersect at the center of the base, This intersi-zctinq of the frames they be produced by melting the frame 11 contiiuicus and frame 12 in two parts 13 and 14 as shown, in Fig. 7, or by any other desired structural method.

The frame 11 is provided with an interior opening 15 and the frame 12 with a like opening 16. These openings are preferably oroduced b n'ovidin each frame with a to substantially vertical, inner edges 16, parallel through the greater part of their height and then curving inward" and meeting in the center, each frame being in general outline rectangular, with an interior, round topped arched opening.

Across the opening in each frame and supported. by the frame pass a series of parallel, substantially horizontal girders 17 which I prefer to make of rectangular cross section, as shown, but which may be of piping or tubing if desired. Mounted upon the upper edges of the girdes 17 are sockets 18, arranged preferably in closely spaced equidistant rows, each socl'ce provided with an incandescent electric or other lamp 18. It will be noted that these lamps project vertically between the girders and thus give equal illumination when viewed from either side of the frame.

From the girders 5 at the center of the base a rod or other structural member 19 projects upwardly into the intersecting top portions of the frames 11 and 12.

Situated at the upper, outer corners of the frames 11 and 12 are eye-bolts 20, provided with rods or taut cables 21 which pass from an eye bolt in the side of one frame to an eye bolt in an adjacent side of the other frame, tying the upper parts of the frames securely together.

The base and frames may be constructed lllll of hollow sheet metal or other material and can be made of comparatively light construction for the reasonthat because of the general openconstruction the structure is not subjected to severe wind pressure. The open construction has the further advantage of avoiding lodging places for snow and ice, the heat of the lamp bulbs, which are not enclosed but exposed directly to the atmosphere is sufficient to melt any snow or ice collecting upon the supporting girders or beams. The base, frames andother structural members of the beacon are preferably painted so as to be min-reflecting, such as adead black color. The beams and girders supporting the lamps are painted or otherwise provided with reflecting surfaces.

The constructionof the trail lights is similar generally to the construction of the range li hts except that the trail lights have but one vertical frame.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and l3 i 22 is the base with girders 23 and 2% cross ing the center of the openings therein. (loncentric beams 25 are supported upon the girders, said beams carrying sockets 26 with lamps 27 therein.

The vertical frame 28 has an opening defined by the inner sides which meet at the top forming an opening 29 defined by the inner edges of the frame, the frame being preferably rectangular in general outline with a round-topped, arch-shaped opening.

Across the opening in the frame are parallel girders 29,, preferably of rectangular cross-section and along the top of each girder is a row of sockets 30, preferably spaced at equal intervals, and in each socket is an incandescent electric lamp 31.

At the four corners of the base 22 are eye-bolts 32 and at the upper corners of the frame 28, on both sides, are eye-bolts 33. .xlods or taut cables 3% connect the eye-bolts of the frame with corresponding eye-bolts of the base, and rods or cables acting as guys for the frame securing the same in upright position.

Range lights as described are placed at certain points over the country, such as at large cities or landing fields. Between the range lights, trail lights extend in lanes or rows, being spaced at such a distance apart as will permit of easy recognition from the position of one light to the next.

It will be noted that from whatever angle the range light is viewed at night it will presei'it a general circular outline and, due to the gr-aneral open character of the frames permitting the light upon one frame to shine through the other frame, these light sources at different depths from the observer will give to the beacon an aspect of rotundity thus closely simulating in appearance the illuminated domes heretofore mentioned.

The trail lights will also exhibit the cirarranged,

cular outline and. aspect of rotundity when viewed from positions above and adjacent the lane or course marked by the trail lights.

It willnot exhibit this circular outline when viewed from a position not substantially greater in altitude than the trail beacon itself or from aposition outside the lane or course markedby the trail lights. This change in the appearance of the trail light is desirable as it indicates to the aerial navigator that heis olfhis course.

Bymy method of. arranging the lamps in upright position above their supports, arranging a series of said supports in a single plane, arranging a second series of light supports in another plane,intersecting the first plane, I obtain what is substantially a pair of intersecting sheets of light visible from positions around the whole horizon, and each sheet of light provided with interstices through which the illumination from the other sheet is visible, thus giving to the light a general appearance of rotundity when viewed from a distance.

lVhat I claim to be new is:

1. In an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal circular apertured frame, a sub stantially vertical, arcuate apertured, frame supported above said first mentioned frame, and means for illuminating the apertures of said frame. i

2. In. an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal, circular apertured, frame. a substantially vertical, arcuate apertured, frame, supported upon said first mentioned frame on. the line of the diameter of the aperture therein, and means for illuminating the apertures of said frame.

3. In an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal, circular apertured, frame, a substantially vertical, arcuate apertured, frame supported upon the first mentioned frame on the line of the diameter of the aperture therein, and means for illuminating the apertures of said frames, said means comprising rows of radiants.

4.111 an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal, circular apertured, frame, plurality of substantially vertical, angularly arcuate apertured intersecting frames supported upon said first mentioned frame, each on the line of a diameter of the aperture therein, and means for illuminating the apertures of said frames.

5. In an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal, circular apertured, frame, a plurality of substantially vertical, angularly arranged, arcuate apertured intersecting frames supported upon said first mentioned frame, each on the line of a diameter of the aperture therein, and means for illuminating the apertures of said frames, said means comprising rows of radiants.

6. In an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal, circular apertured frame, a pair masses of substantially vertical, arcuate apertured, frames, supported upon said first mentioned frame, and positioned at right angles to each other upon the lines of diameters of the aperture therein and means for illuminating the apertures of said frames, said means comprising rows of radiants.

'2'. In an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal circular apertured, rectangular frame, a substantially vertical, arcuate apertured, rectangular frame supported along a median line of said horizontal frame, struts spanning the apertures of said frames, and rows of radiants carried by said struts.

8. In an aerial beacon, a substantially horizontal, circular apertnred, rectangular frame, a substantially vertical, arcuate apertured, rectangular frame supported along a median line of said horizontal frame, struts spanning the apertures of said frames, rows of radiants carried by said struts, and stays extend ii'ig from the upper corners of said vertical frame to the corners of said horizontal frame.

9. A system of beacons for aerial navigation which comprises range beacons produced by angularly arranged intersecting planes of light and trail beacons, comprising angularly arranged contiguous planes of light.

10. A system of beacons for aerial navigation which comprises range beacons produced by a horizontal circular disk of light with a plurality of Vertical conterminou-s segments of light centered thereon and trail beacons comprising a horizontal disk of light and a horizontal semi-circular disk of light centered there-upon.

11. In an arial beacon, an illuminant comprising rows of radiants arranged in a plane to form a horizontal disk of light and rows of radiants forming vertical conterminous sectors of light, the common boundary of said sectors being positioned at the center of and perpendicular to said disk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatnre.

EDMUND BECKER 

